Spring training ends on a high note

As the school year comes to an end, so do high school spring football practices and scrimmages. How do the coaches assess their teams’ performance so far?

H.L. Bourgeois

2007 record: (8-3, 6-0 in district 8-5A). Loss 34-21 to Dutchtown in bi-district playoff round.

First-year Braves head coach Joe Riley has never been afraid of a challenge. Good thing because he has some big ones.

The Braves are losing 17 starters from last year’s district 8-5A championship team (eight on offense, nine on defense). Playing Class 5A champs Destrehan in the spring game did not help.

“The guys that are starting now saw significant playing time last year,” said Riley. “That’s always a plus.”

That experience helped Bourgeois hang tough in a 7-0 loss to the Wildcats.

“I was very impressed with our effort and our play,” said Riley. “We went toe-to-toe with a good team and came out real well.”

The ground game will again be the strength of the Braves’ offensive game. Senior running backs Jereme Lagarde and Caleb Williams return to pound out yards, but finding open lanes might be more difficult in 2008.

“I lost four out of five guys on the [offensive] line who were three-year starters,” said Riley, who coached the offensive line last season.

Adjusting from coaching 10 players to overseeing a 65-man roster has been easy for Riley because he maintains a good rapport the athletes.

During the summer, he plans to have the team do conditioning drills every day and weightlifting twice a week.

“In order to have a successful program, that component has to be in place,” said Riley. “It’s been here the last 4-5 years I’ve been at H.L. I plan on keeping there.”

Vandebilt Catholic.

2007 record: (11-2, 4-1 in District 8-4A). Loss 28-17 to Benton in quarterfinals.

When Mark King resigned May 2 after one year as Terriers head coach, the program seemed to be in flux.

Apparently, nobody told that to the players.

Senior-to-be running backs Curtis Welch and Dexter Smith combined for 171 rushing yards in Vandebilt’s 31-26 spring game win over South Lafourche May 20.

“We played our starters the first half and the score was 24-0,” said interim head coach Walter Dupre. “We had a lot of eighth graders in there in the fourth quarter.”

The main goal was to implement his base offensive and defensive schemes. The Terriers executed to near perfection.

The “interim” label has not kept the players from listening to Dupre’s every command.

“Guys were real attentive and focused all spring,” he said. “That’s what we saw in the game.”

Vandebilt still has some issues to address. The offense is losing eight starters, including the entire offensive line. Meanwhile, the defense must replace five starters from last year’s team.

“We have quality leadership in our seniors and juniors,” Dupre said. “I don’t think too many sophomores make the starting lineup.”

Dupre will institute a four-day-a-week weightlifting and conditioning regiment beginning June 2.

“Other than giving them time off for family vacation,” he said, “we expect them to participate in those drills.”

South Terrebonne

2007 record: (5-5-, 3-3 in District 8-5A)

Gators head coach Richard Curlin is glad spring practices are over.

Not because his team played poorly. He is happy not to see Patterson running Kenny Hillard through and around his defense as he did May 19.

“We had our hands full,” said Curlin. “I don’t think we’ll run into a back like Hillard again next year.”

On offense, the Gators are losing three lineman, a running back and potent all-district tandem quarterback Blake Martin and tight end Brandon Williams.

Josh LeBlanc and Quenton Lirette are battling to replace Martin.

“I thought both of them looked pretty good,” said Curlin. “They had a good spring.”

Four defensive spots need to be filled. While the line looks solid, “we need to get better play from our secondary,” said Curlin. “We’ll probably move some kids around back there.”

With 105 students trying out for the team and a 75-man roster in store, he will have plenty of depth. However, the younger players should not expect much playing time.

“Most of the replacements will be juniors with some seniors. I don’t think we will have any sophomores starting next year,” said Curlin.

He will have the weight room open twice a day during the summer hiatus. In addition, skills players will do 7-on-7 drills and a four-day mini-camp in August.

“They’ll have a week break then they’ll come back for the start of practice and two-a-days,” he concluded.

Terrebonne

2007 record: (2-8, 1-5 in District 8-5A)

Can one good 2008 spring scrimmage erase the memory of a bad 2007 season? So far, the answer is yes.

In one quarter against Morgan City, Terrebonne’s offensive gained 130 yards, five first downs and two touchdowns. In contrast, the defense held Morgan City to five yards and a turnover.

“We eliminated some of the mistakes we made last,” said Terrebonne head coach Gary Hill. “One of our goals was to fix some of the penalties, having loss our discipline at times.”

Despite losing 10 combined starters on both sides of the ball, the Tigers skill position players are back next season.

Quarterback Neil Robertson, running back Darrious Neville, and wide receiver Darrion Jones will head the offensive attack, along with four returning starters on the line.

The defensive play has been the biggest surprise and delight to Hill.

“Our defense improved greatly every day since we started spring practice,” he said. “We definitely tackled better and played better up front.”

Fifty-eight players tried out for the team this spring, and Hill expects his final roster be about that number. This would make the Tigers the smallest team among local schools.

For the summer, Hill hopes his team does weekly 7-on-7 drills with other local schools.

“Otherwise, we’re doing what everybody’s doing,” he said, “instituting a weight program and a conditioning program and still incorporating whatever football drills are allowed.

Central Lafourche

2007 record: (5-5, 4-2 in District 8-5A)

The good news for second-year Trojans’ coach Chad Callais is with 94 kids trying out for the team, he will have plenty of depth. The bad news is he is losing 29 seniors, including 13 starters off last year’s team.

“The replacements will be freshmen and sophomores who have to step up,” said Callais.

The option offense will still be formiable.

Replacing Neal Foret at quarterback will be converted running back junior Cody Savoie and backs Byron Thomas and Chevell Shelby are returning.

The defense needs to be solidified from losing eight starters.

“We’re going to be extremely young over there,” said Callais.

The Trojans won’t do 7-on-7 drills this summer, and they will focus on conditioning over weights.

“Last summer we had an excellent conditioning program, and we hardly conditioned in the fall,” said Callais. “That’s how I want them to show up this August.”

Patterson

2007 record: (10-4, 4-0 in District 7-3A). Semi-final loss to Westlake.

His senior-to-be quarterback Terrance Johnson was honorable mention All-State last season. His running back Kenny Hillard was first team All-State as a freshman.

And Lumberjacks head coach Tommy Minton expects more in 2008. “Having them back, the offense picked up where it left off last year,” he said.

Hillard and Johnson torch South Terrebonne’s defense, and the Lumberjack defense held the Gators scoreless in their spring scrimmage May 19.

Minton will have half his starters returning next season, but all three linebackers are being placed.

“I think the kids we plugged into those spots are doing to a good job and can provide us leadership in that spot,” he said.

With 63 players trying out, he expects about 25 freshmen to make the team.